Larry Hodges Science Fiction & Fantasy

One Day Until Publication of Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions!

I’ve been posting daily notes on Facebook about Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions, linking the number of days to publication to countries with those electoral votes in the election of 2100, or similar issues. Here they are! (I skipped days 9 & 10.)

It’s one day until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Antarctica will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. With climate change threatening to turn Antarctica into a new frontier for human settlement, developers jumped on the opportunity, and a thriving population soon lived there, awaiting a balmy future. But when global warming was solved – in tragic fashion – the settlements became the Ghost Towns of Antarctica – and if you want their one electoral vote, you’ll have to address their concerns . . . even the ignorant beliefs of a misinformed and possibly lovestruck teenager named for a cartoon character!

It’s two days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many countries are so large in population that they have their own regional election: China with 159 electoral votes, and India with 245. Since VP candidate Feodora is hated in China – she led the Russians to victory over them in war – things get tricky. It all leads to the infamous table tennis exhibition in the Hall of Champions in Shanghai, capital of China since the Beijing Rebellion of 2074 – and that ends in disaster. As to India – Toby won’t negotiate with gangsters, so it’s up to Bruce to secretly talk to the Delhi Lala and buy his support – but what is his price?

It’s three days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many major political parties there will be after our heroes mount a third-party moderate challenge to the two major parties, one conservative, one liberal. From the infamous 2016 American election to the election of 2095, when Corbin Dubois defeated incumbent Jing Xu in the election for president of Earth, voters have had to choose between two extremes, conservative and liberal. Now, in 2100, with a third-part moderate challenge that pits a father running for president against a daughter running the campaign of incumbent Dubois, voters have a choice. Or will dirty tricks get in the way as our self-proclaimed Moderate Extremists battle the established parties on all seven continents?

It’s four days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Australia will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. It’s the First in the World election – and any candidate who doesn’t proclaim Oceania’s right to this faces disaster. But is it right that all are equal, but some are more equal than others? (And do they really have to eat that disgusting local food? They still eat meat in Australia!)

It’s five days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Guatemala will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. After a terrible tragedy, our heroes – a third-party challenge – release the ashes of two of their team into Mount Momotombo in Nicaragua. But if they want those five votes, they’ll have to campaign in Latin America . . . from hospital beds. The badly injured alien ambassador has disappeared – did she survive? Will there be retribution? The world holds its breath as it waits, watches, and wonders.

It’s six days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Canada will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. Vancouver’s Dr. Mary Heilig had pioneered 3-D full-sensory virtual reality, Full VR for short, and it became Canada’s top industry, and made Heilig a trillionaire. But when two billion people left the real world for “Virtchy World,” leading to the ten-year economic collapse known as The Great Lethargia, Full VR was outlawed. When Canada rebelled, USA invaded. If presidential candidate Toby wants those six electoral votes, he’s going to need the support of the jailed but popular Heilig – but the 100-year-old scientist tycoon has her own plans for Toby that will leave him fighting for his political career – and his life.

It’s seven days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Thailand will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. The Asian Federation is plagued by the Pirates of the South China Sea, the remnants of the rebellious Taiwanese submarine fleet after their union with China. What can VP candidate Feodora do when she’s stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desperate pirates? Will they let her live – and more importantly, can she tame the pirates and get those seven electoral votes?

It’s eight days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes France will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. How did the French cowboy Corbin Dubois become world president? How did France become a financial giant? And why do they keep 26 blue whales – including the genetically altered Lorraine – in a giant aquarium in Dover, England, a constant insult to English pride and sovereignty?

It’s 11 days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and the world is divided into 11 regions that will vote on 11 consecutive Tuesdays in a world that has adopted the American two-party electoral system. The candidates will campaign in Oceania (First in the World!), then on to North America, Russian Federation, China, United Europe, Asian Federation, Africa, Latin America, India, Islam Nation, and finally in the ghost towns of Antarctica. Who is the talkative teenage girl from Antarctica who keeps popping up? And who is the mysterious one-armed man that follows them everywhere?

It’s 12 days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Japan will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. Japan is still angry about losing a war they thought they’d won against Russia and General Feodora Zubkov nine years before, and is hungry to invade again, in mid-election. Will they? If only they knew what Feodora has planned this time . . . and those 12 electoral votes are enticing!

It’s 13 days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Sudan will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. The African campaign is all about overpopulation – and Twenty-Two, the alien ambassador, is shocked at how we deal with such things. How do they do it on his home planet of Grodan, which orbits Tau Ceti?

It’s 14 days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Russia will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. When Russia is invaded by huge armies from two countries, and all seems lost. Can VP candidate Feodora – the small general from Russia, “The Horse” to her friends, “The Mountain Monster” to her enemies – stop them? More importantly, can presidential candidate Toby get Russia’s 14 electoral votes – and can they vote in mid-war? Will alien ambassador Twenty-Two get involved?

It’s 15 days until Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is published by World Weaver Press – and that’s how many electoral votes Tanzania will have in the 2100 election for president of Earth. When the candidates campaign in Tanzania, they will meet General Bapoto, who has evil plans for them – and for Twenty-Two, the alien ambassador traveling with them. Can VP candidate Feodora escape her chains in time to save them? And who is The Cat, the mysterious woman in black?